Shawn Clark column: The outdoors is about more than trophies

Feb. 20, 2014

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Written by

Shawn Clark

If you are a hunter, the name Fred Bear should ring a bell, particularly if you hunt with a bow and arrow.

Fred Bear, the father of modern day bow hunting as he has been dubbed, was a man well ahead of his time. He was a once-in-a-lifetime figure and will forever remain an example to outdoorsmen, much like the founding fathers of our country. I've read his biography. If you haven't read it, you should. It's a fascinating read.

While on Facebook recently, I ran across a picture of Fred Bear, along with a quote that read, "A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be." I liked the picture and quote so much, I am now using it as my cover photo on Facebook.

My point? No truer words have ever been spoken by a hunter, and coming from the great Fred Bear himself, hunters of today should not only look at that quote, but infuse that attitude more into their hunting lifestyles, (as well as their fishing outings).

These days there seems to be way too much of the 'trophy' mentality in hunting, almost to the point where it's becoming detrimental to the sport. Hunting and fishing programs on TV are the biggest fan flamers of this attitude. Have you ever watched a show that DIDN'T get a huge buck, bull, or bruin? Or how about a fishing show where they catch a bunch of smaller walleyes, muskie or bass?

The reality of it is, those parts are edited out and the hosts of these shows will often hire guides to take them to the big animals. This makes for good TV, right? I'm not knocking anyone for that. This is what sells their product.

Often those on the shows own a lot of land and install food plots with trail cameras all over. They grow these large animals all in the name of trophy hunting. Again, not bad things, but I have to question just how much good this does for hunting overall.What I notice among a lot of my hunting peers is the attitude that trophies are the only thing that makes or breaks a hunting trip.

Getting a 10-point buck or bigger or a 400-pound-plus bear, or 50-inch muskies seems like the only thing that satisfies a lot of guys? Really? Is this what today's sportsmen are all about?

Who doesn't like getting a huge buck, or bull, or fish?

I'm not going to lie, I love the rush of seeing a big buck approaching or laying into a huge walleye. In fact, I killed a great big 9-pointer a number of years ago and my wife bagged a huge bear the last time we were in Canada. It's not like I'm going to pass on a monster deer, but my hunts and personal satisfaction aren't going to be based on getting that one monster.

I've kept some really good fish in my day, that ended up filling my stomach, instead of gracing my wall. Oh,the proverbial heart attacks some guys have had over me exercising my rights to keep good size fish or killing what many guys wouldn't dare to shoot because it doesn't meet their standards.

But it doesn't matter.

Many of these guys don't get it and are so buried in that trophy-only mentality and trying to live up to standards set by other people, that they will never get what the outdoors is really about.

But that's ok. I'm a big boy and can handle the criticism.

What concerns me is that when that mentality is transferred to newcomers to the sport, in particular kids. Just how are kids supposed to learn how great hunting is if they have to cave to parents or other peoples standards? Why would they want to sit in the woods if huge racks are the only things that are acceptable, especially if they go days on end without seeing a big buck?

I'm not against anyone wanting trophies only. Far from it. If that's what you want, have at it. Don't inflict your beliefs on everyone else though.

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For me, I get a childlike sense of excitement when I have a doe coming in, even more so when I start seeing antlers. The adrenaline is overwhelming at times. And there is a pretty good chance if I get a clear shot, that animal is going to get it. I don't care what any other hunter would think when I shoot that animal. It's my hunt, not theirs. This activitity is for my personal satisfaction. No one else's. It's meat going in my freezer. They can enjoy the tag soup while taking some kind of comfort in not killing that doe or small buck. Trophies are good, but at what kind of cost?

The outdoors is a place to connect with nature. To connect with friends and family. To temporarily leave the stress of every day life. To blow off steam, and not put pressure on yourself. And most importantly to connect with God who created all these things.

So next time you get out there, ask yourself, what is most important. A huge buck only? Or perhaps a 1 1/2 year old six-pointer ? Releasing that 25 inch walleye or keeping it and frying it up later?